Regulation and Education

Acupuncture regulation in Canada indicates that health practitioners must be trained in acupuncture in order to use it as a complement to their own professional training, in most Canadian provinces (but not all).

Canada
Standards for training are set by the regulatory bodies for each health profession. Not all provinces have set standards. For those Canadian provinces that have set standards, the CAFCI or ACC designation from Acupuncture Canada is accepted.

Medical doctors and dentists may use acupuncture in all Canadian provinces and territories. Physiotherapists may use acupuncture in all provinces except Quebec. Chiropractors may use acupuncture in all provinces but Quebec and British Columbia. Naturopathic Doctors may use acupuncture, within their scope of practice, in provinces where they are regulated. Massage therapists may use acupuncture in provinces where they are regulated, except in British Columbia. Acupuncture must be part of a professional’s scope of practice before they can take our training and use acupuncture as an adjunct modality.

For more information please check with your provincial Ministry of Health or visit the website of the provincial regulatory college that governs each profession.

Traditional Acupuncturists are regulated in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland. The title of “Acupuncturist” is protected in those provinces. In provinces without regulation, it is the consumers’ responsibility to inform themselves of the practitioner’s level of training.